Rail fastening



. Sept. 5, 1944. w. s. BOYCE ETAL RAIL FASTENING Filed July 19. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I VJI 4 w /,J 4 a? w 01m 1W -3 "4PM lNV/EgNTOR S f cm ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1944 RAIL FASTENING William S. Boyce, Denver, and Marvin L. Cantrell, Pueblo, Colo., assignors to The Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation, Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colorado Application July 19, 1941, Serial No. 403,138

11 Claims.

This invention relates to rail fastenings of the type including adjustable means for urging a spring lock against the rail base to hold the rail yieldingly on its seat, and has particular reference to a novel fastening of this type wherein the stress to which the spring lock is subjected by the adjustable means is limited to an amount determined by a stress control element coacting with the lock. The new fastening may be readily installed and effectively resists accidental loosening due to vibration or other causes.

Rail fastenings have been devised heretofore in which the rail is held against its seat by a locking member clamped against the rail base by a nut and bolt secured to the tie-plate adjacent the rail flange, the plate-gripping head portion of the bolt extending .below the plate bottom. This downwardly projecting head requires indenting the tie to permit proper seating of the plate, with resulting injury to the tie. The nut is tightened against the lock to cause it to exert a downward pressure on the rail base, the amount which the nut is tightened being determined generally by its resistance to tightening which, in the prior fastenings, increases relatively gradually and uniformly because it is'efiected only by the increasing reactive force of the spring lock itself throughout the range of adjustment. With this construction, the installation or maintenance worker must rely on his own judgment to determine when the nut has been tightened sufiiciently to provide the desired pressure on the rail, and, accordingly, the pressure exerted by the locks is not uniform and frequently exceeds or falls short of the desired pressure by a substantial amount. that the worker tightens the nut too much and thereby subjects the locking member to stresses exceeding its elastic limit so that breakage of the lock occurs. Additionally, the positioning of the bolt adjacent the edge of the rail flange results in a relatively short spring arm engaging the rail, whereby the fastening is more or'less a rigid clamp and does not have the desired resilient properties. I

One feature of the present invention, therefore, resides in the provision of a novel rail fastening of the adjustable spring type which may be readily adjusted to provide a predetermined p essure on the rail by reason of its inclusion of stress control means coacting with the spring lock to preventover-tightening of the adjustable means.

A rail fastening made in accordance with our in-- vention includes a lock having a spring arm overlying the rail base to resistupward movement of the rail, and adjustable means for urging the lock downwardly against the rail base so that it exerts a spring action on the rail. Seated on the tie-plate under the lock and adjacent the adjustable means is a stress control member against which the lock is clamped by the adjustable means, the control member being so proportioned that when the adjustable means is tightened the maximum amount permitted by the control member, the spring lock exerts the desired pressure on the rail. Preferably, the adjustable means includes a laterally extending element underlying partof the tie-plate within the body of the plate to secure the adjustable means against upward movement when it is tightened, and the stress control member has a part adjacent the adjustable means and operable to maintain the laterally extending element in its operative position'under the plate.

In the installation of the new fastening the,

adjustable means are tightened until the lock is clamped firmly against the stress control member, whereupon further tightening is prevented by this member. By locating the stress control member adjacent the adjustable means, the spring lock does not yield appreciably under the action of the adjustable means after the latter forces the lock against the control member, with the result that the proper degree of tightening of the adjustable means is indicated by a sudden marked increase in Moreover, it happens not infrequently its resistance to tightening. Since the stress control member positively limits the tightening of the adjustable means and therefore the pressure of the lock against the rail, there is no danger of over-stressing the lock and breaking it or otherwise preventing fulfillment of its intended function. The spring pressure against the rail base which is thus determined by the stress control member serves effectively to resist upward and lateral movement and longitudinal creeping of the rail. Due to its distortion and reactive force, the spring lock acts to prevent accidental loosening of the adjustablemeans and automatically takes up any looseness which might otherwise develop in the adjustable means due to wear, corrosion, etc.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a novel rail fastening in which the stress control member for the spring look also serves to limit the upward movement of' the rail and the lock incident to the usual wave motion of the rail due to "passing wheel loads. In

one form of our invention, the rail is seated on a tie-plate having a rail abutment shoulder on one.

side ofthe rail seat, and the stress control member is mounted on this shoulder under the sprin look so that it is held down against the shoulder 1 of the lock due to excessive upward movement of the rail.

These and other features of the invention may be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional and plan views, respectively of one form of the new fastening;

- Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional and plan views, respectively, of a modified form of. the invention;

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the stress control members of Fig. 3 in its preliminary and final forms, respectively;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of the control member in a preliminary stage of its manufacture;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the member shown in Fig. 7 but in its final form, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of still another form of the control member.

Referring to the drawings, the new rail fastening comprises a rail support preferably in the form of a tie-plate l0 mounted on a cross-tie H and having a canted seat l2 for the rail It. The base it of the rail is held to the proper gauge on the plate by means of rail abutment shoulders It extending transversely, of the plate along the side edges of the rail base.

The rail I3 is held yieldingly on its seat by a spring lock l1 which, as shown, comprises a strip of relatively heavy spring metal bent back on itself to form a double thickness of metal, one end of the lock engaging the top of therail base and -being bent upwardly, as shown at l8. At its opposite end, the spring lock is bent downwardly and engages the top of the tie-plate a substantial distance outwardly of the rail seat, as shown at IS. The spring lock I1 is clamped down against the tie-plate and the rail base by an adjustable means which preferably comprises a bolt and a nut 2| threaded on the upper end of the bolt. The bolt 20 extends through an elongated slot 22 in the spring lock and has a laterally extending projection 23 underlying a part of the tie-plate so as to secure the ,boltagainst upward movement relative to the plate. -As shown, the bolt is disposed in an opening 28 in the tie-plate, and the lateral projection 23 is located wholly above the bottom surface of the plate and extends outwardly under a shoulder 28 formed by undercut ting the opening 28.

Above the shoulder 25, the tie-plate is provided with a raised abutment 26 extending transversely of the plate along the outer edge of the opening 24, the abutment serving to brace the bolt.

If desired, the top surface of the plate may also be provided with longitudinal abutments 26a extending along the opposite sides of the plate opening tothe shoulder l5, transverse abutment 28 and afford additional lateral support for the bolt. The undercut opening 24 and the raised abutments 28, 28a-may be formed in a single punching operation; as described in an application of Marvin L. Cantrell! and Oscar A. Hed, Serial No. 295,204, filed September 16, 1939.

so as to reenforce the.

Seated on the shoulder I! under the spring lock is a stress control member 28 against which the spring lock is clamped by the nut 2|. The

horizontal surface of the member 28 directly above the shoulder I8 is shaped to conform to l the top of the shoulder and'is held down against this shoulder by the clamping action of the nut. Preferably, the control member 28 has a downwardly extending wedge part 29 which fits into the plate opening 28 between the bolt 20 and the inner wall of the opening. Thus, the wedge 29 holds the bolt tightly in engagement with the outer wall of the opening and the abutment 26 and thereby maintains the lateral projection 23 in its operative position under shoulder 25. If desired, the control member 28 may also be provided with a lug 38 extending inwardly from the rail abutment shoulder l6 and overlying the top of the rail base in spaced relation thereto.

In assembling the new fastening, the rail is mounted on the tie-plate l0, and the bolt 20 is insorted in the plate opening 24 so that the'lateral projection 23 extends into the undercut part of the opening. The bolt is locked in this position by inserting the wedge 28 of the control member into the plate opening adjacent the bolt. The spring lock 11 may then be placed in position over the upper end of the bolt, and the nut 2| tightened on the bolt to clamp the lock down against the rail base, the tie-plate and the top of the control member 28. Before the nut is tightened, the spring lock assumes its normal unstressed position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. As the nut is tightened, the part of the lock directly beneath the nut is forced downwardly, and due to the shape of the lock and its relation to the tie-plate and rail base this downward force causes it to move inwardly toward-the rail on its outer end ID as a pivot,'the elongated slot 22 permitting this longitudinal movement of the lock.

The resistance of the nut 2i to tightening will increase relatively gradually and uniformly due to the increased resistance of the spring lock to distortion as it moves away from its normal position. However, the resistance of the nut to tightening will increase suddenly to a very high value when the spring lock is forced down against the top of the control member 28, because the latter being rigid-cannot yield to accommodate further tightening-of the nut. Also, since the member 28 is disposed adjacent the bolt 20 and lock then assuming the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

By proper proportioning of the stress control member 28, it is possible to control accurately the distance through which the spring lock is forced before it contacts the control member and therefore its ultimate pressure on the rail. When the control members 28 are made of uniform dimensions, the pressure of the several spring locks 11 along the rail will be uniform. The control member 28 serves the distortion of the spring lock and thereby determining the pressure on the rail, and holding the lateral projection 23 under the shoulder 28 of the dual function of limiting the v the rail is prevented.

with the new construction, the spring lock in its final position is caused to exert on the rail base I a downward pressure of the desired magnitude determined by the control member 28, whereby upward movement of the rail from its seat is resisted yieldingly and longitudinal creeping of the rail is efl'ectively reduced or prevented; Due to the distortion of the spring lock by the nut 2| in its finalposition, the lock exerts on the nut an upwardly directed reactive force which maintains the nut under considerable stress and thereby resists loosening thereof. This reactive force of the lock also'has a horizontal component directed outwardly from the rail due to the tendency of the distorted lock to move back toits normal position on the lower end l9 as a pivot. Accordingly, the resultant reactive force of the lock acts not only to urge the nut and bo1t upwardly but also to tilt the bolt outwardly in the plate opening 26. The upper, part of the bolt in the plate opening is therefore I urged outwardly against the raised abutment 26 on the tie-plate, and the lower part of the bolt is urged inwardly against the lower'end of the wedge 29 of the stress control member. This eccentric reactive force on the nut and bolt thus maintains the parts in tightly wedged relation and automatically takes up any looseness which may otherwise develop between the parts due to wear, corrosion, etc.

It will be apparent that with the new fastening it is impossible to tighten the nut 2| to the point where the elastic limit of the spring lock is exceeded, because the control member 28 provides a positive limit to the distortion of the lock by the nut. By positioning the bolt20 a substantial distance outwardly of the rail base, the spring arm of the lock between th bolt and the rail may be made of suiiicient length to provide considerable resiliency. The plate opening 24 may be made of any desired shape, as, for example, rectangular, and is preferably of suflicient width transversely of the plate to permit free entry of the bolt and the stress control member.

Since the spring lock H is a fastening medium for holding the rail in its operativeposition on the tie-plate, it is preferably supple- 3 or locks may vary according to the track and "trafllc conditions.

The rail fastening shown in Figs. 3 and 41s similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 except that a spring lock Ila and a stres control member 28a of different form are used. The spring lock Ila, as shown, is made of a single strip of metal having its inner, rail-engaging end |8a bent upwardly .to provide a smooth contact with the rail of substantial area, thereby preventing cutting of and possible resulting injury to the rail. At its outer end, the lock is bent downwardly and engages the top of the tie plate a substantial distance outwardly of the rail seat, as shown at No, whereby the intermediate portion of th spring lock is supported horizontally above the raised portions 26 and 26a of the tie plate. Preferably, the surface of the spring lock underlying th nut 2| of the adjustab1e means is flat to cause the nut to engage the spring uniformly.

The stress control member 28a is provided with a shank portion 29a disposed in the plate opening 24 between the bolt and the inner wall of the opening. Thus, the shank 29a wedges the bolt against the outer wall of the plateopening .movement relative to the plate.

and holds the projection 23 under the overhanging wall 25 to secure the bolt against upward At the top of the shank 29a, the control member is provided with a pair of parallel, outwardly extending arms seated on the longitudinal abutments'26a of the tie plate, and the under surface of the spring lock is clamped against the arms 35 and the top of shank 28a by the nut 2|. It; will be apparent that the control member 28a provides support for the spring look across the inner face mented by means providing adequate holding power to secure the plate to the tie, such as spikes 32 extending through openings in the tieplate adjacent the rail seat and driven through the tie, or other means for insuring adherence of the plate to the tie to resist flexing of the, spring incident to th passing of wheel loads over the rail and to reduce the abrasive action of the plate on the tie. If desired, additional spikes maybe driven through openings 33 outwardly of the rail base, and each tie-plate may have spring locks clamped against the rail base on both sides of the rail. However, the number of spring locks per plate and their position thereon and the number of spikes or simispring lock is tightened by the nut 2|.

of the bolt 20 and along the opposite sides of the bolt, whereby the lock is held securely in position at all times. The control member 28a may be made from a T-shaped metal stamping, as shown in Fig. 5, by bending the two arms of the stamping forwardly, as shown in Fig, 6. Preferably, the plate-engaging end |9a of the spring lock is arched transversely of the plate so that the side edges of the lock are embedded in the plate by the action of the nut 2|. These embedded portions resist turning of the spring lock on the bolt 20 as an axis by the action of the rail.

The control member 36 shown in Fig. 8 is made from a fiat stamping having an enlarged I end provided with an opening 38a, as shown in trol members 36 and 31 may be substituted for the member 28 'or 23a, the enlarged portion resting on top of the raised abutments 26a of the plate and serving as a stop against which the It will be understood that the members 36 and3l provide support for the spring lock on all sides of the bolt so that the pressure-of the spring lock due to the nut 2| is more widely distributed.

We claim:

1. In a rail fastening, a tie-plate having a rail seat, a rail on the seat, a lock having one end .overlying the rail base to resist upward movement of the rail, adjustable means for urging the lock downwardly against the rail base, and a member seated on the tie-plate under the lock lar means and their position relative to the lock 1- limiting downward movement of the lock spring engaging the rail base and an by said means and having a part overlying the rail base in spaced relation thereto for limiting upward movement of the rail. 7 2. In a rail fastening. a tie-plate having a rail seat, a rail on the seat, locking means normally urging the rail against its seat and including 0. element underlying part of the tie-plate to secure the locking means against upward movement relative to the tie-plate, and a member on the tie-plate having a part overlying the rail base in spaced relation thereto for limiting upward movement of the rail and having another part for maintaining said element in its operative position under said part of the plate.

8. In a rail fastening, a tie-plate having a rail seat, a rail on the seat, a lock having one end overlying the rail base to resist upward movement of the rail, adjustablemeans for urging the lock downwardly against the rail base and including an element underlying part of the tieplate to secure said ineans against upward movement relative to the plate, and a member seated on the tie-plate under the lock for limiting downward movement of the lock byvsaid means, the member having a part overlying the rail base in spaced relation thereto for limiting upward movement of the rail for maintaining said element in its operative position under said part of the plate.

4. In a rail fastening, a tie-plate having a rail seat, a rail on the seat, a spring lock having one assme'e erally parallel spaced relation on opposite sides and having another part. v

end overlying the rail base to resist upward movement of the rail and the other end bent downwardly and engaging the plate outwardly of the seat, th lock having a slot intermediate its ends extending lengthwise of the. lock, a bolt extending through the slot and having a laterally extending element underlying for securing the bolt against upward movement relative to the plate, a nut threaded on the bolt and screwed against the top of the lock to urge the lock downwardly against the rail base and the tie-plate, the lock being distorted by the nut and exerting an eccentric reactive force on the nut and bolt to resist loosening thereof, the lock being pivotable on said outer end to accommodate distortion of the lock inwardly over the rail base under the action of the nut, and a member seated on the tie-plate adjacent the bolt for limiting downward movement of the lock by the nut and having a part operable to maintain said element in its operative position under said part of the plate.

5. In a rail fastening, a tie-plate having a rail seat and an opening at one side of the seat, a rail on the seat, a spring lock having one end overlying the rail base to resist upward movement of therail, adjustable means in the opening for urging the lock downwardly against the rail base and including an element underlying part of the tie-plate to secure said means against upward movement relative to the plate, the adjustable means fitting in the opening with a substantial clearance and being movable laterally in the opening to render said element inoperative, and a stress control member for the lock disposed under the lock and including a shank in said opening for securing the adjustable means against latoperatlve position, shank extending at part of the plate ill! of the adjustable means, the adjustable means being operable to clamp the lock against said member and the member acting to limit the downward movement of the look by said means.

6. Ina rail fastening assembly, the improvement comprising a tie-plate having a rail-seat and a plate-opening adjacent the seat, a rail on the seat, a spring-lock having an outer end seated on the tie-plate outwardly of the plate-opening and an inner end engaging the rail base to resist upward movement of the rail relative to the plate, the spring-lock ving an opening intermediate its ends, a .emovable stress-control member seated on the tie-plate under the springlockladjacent their openings, the stress-control member having a predetermined thickness so that -it is adapted to control accurately the distance through which the spring-lock is forced and hence its ultimate pressure on the rail base, said stress control member being provided with a -t'on maintaining said underlying lower end of the bolt in engagement with the plate, the bolt pi'ijecting upwardly through the opening in the spring-lock, and a nut threaded on the bolt above the spring-lock normally maintaining the spring- Loeck in engagement with the stress-control mem- 7. A rail fastening assembly according to the preceding claim, in which the tie-plate is provided with a rail-abutment shoulder adjacent one side of the rail-seat, and the stress-control member is mounted on the rail-abutment shoulder.

' 8. A rail fastening assembly according to claim 6, in which the stress-control member is provided with a lateral lug overlying the rail-base in spaced relation thereto to prevent over-stressing or the inner arm of the spring-lock over the rail-base due to excessive upward movement of the rail when wheel loads pass over the rail.

9. A rail fastening assembly according to claim 6, in which the tie-plate is provided with a railabutment shoulder adjacent one side of the railseat, the stress-control member being mounted on the rail-abutment shoulder, and the stresscontrol member is provided with a lateral lug overlying the rail-base in spaced relation thereto to prevent over-stressing of the arm of the spring-lock over the rail-base due to excessive upward movement of the rail when wheel loads pass over the rail.

10. A rail fastening assembly according to claim 6, in which the stress-control membe is located entirely on the rail side of the bolt.

11. A rail fastening assembly according to claim 6, in which the end portion of the outer arm of the spring-lock bends sharply downwardly against the outer portion of the tie-plate, and

' the opening in the spring-lock is elongated so eral movement to maintain said element in its 7 that when the nut is tightened on the bolt the remote tip of the. outer arm of the spring-lock pivots on the tie-plate and the outer and inner arms of the spring-lock may creep longitudinally toward the rail.

WmLIAM S. BOYCE.

MARVIN L. CANTRELL. 

